Category Archives: Nevada

Kid-Friendly Spots in Las Vegas

  By Anne Patrone | August 25, 2011 - 10:43 am | , , , , , , ,
1 Comment

Before I wave good-bye to Las Vegas and move on to the rest of our Western US road trip, I wanted to do a quick list of some of the kid-friendly activities in Las Vegas. Most of these we DIDN’T get to do or see, but were interested in doing . . . .

I know my list is not complete, so feel free to add any items:

My guys begged me for tokens to play games at the Coney Island Emporium located at the New York – New York Hotel and Casino. It was a fun way to waste 30 minutes to an hour, but expect my little guy was disappointed that so many of the games he wanted to play were out of service.

Playing arcade games at New York-New York Coney Island Arcade


If we’d had more time, I know my guys wanted to visit the Adventuredome, an indoor amusement park at Circus Circus. With rides, games, and circus acts all located in one air-conditioned spot, it’s a perfect spot for a kid to be a kid.
Adventuredome inside Circus Circus

Last, but not least, my animal-loving youngest was definitely interested in visiting either the Shark Reef Aquarium at the Mandalay Bay Hotel or Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage Hotel. 

Mandalay Bay Shark Reef

We actually tried to visit the Secret Garden after watching the Cirque du Soleil show, Mystere, at Treasure Island, but like most of these kid-friendly places, it closed around 7:00 pm.

Photo of Mandalay Bay Shark Reef courtesy of Bogdan Migulski via Flickr.
Photo of Adventuredome courtesy of Marquis Lewis via Flickr.

The Roller Coaster at New York-New York Hotel: A Kid’s View

  By Anne Patrone | August 24, 2011 - 9:30 am | , , , , , , , , , ,
6 Comments
Waving good-bye to my guys at The Roller Coaster

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most of you may be aware that due to the nature of my blog, I don’t accept guest posts, but today I’m making an exception for The Roller Coaster at the New York-New York Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas. (As an aside, they used to call it The Manhattan Express but I don’t know why they changed it).

Why today of all days?

Because I am a complete and utter wimp who didn’t go on The Roller Coaster at the New York-New York Hotel – only my two boys did . . .

Hey, the way I figure it, the guide I use is called Frommer’s 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up - so as long as I take my kids to these places, I’m covered. And before you get huffy, no where does it actually say in the guidebook that I have to also participate in the activities.

This is where I safely stood . . .

So without further ado . . . my oldest son’s guest post . . .

Hi, I’m the infamous M. 

Our last morning in Vegas, we started off at a local diner restaurant near our hotel. My brother was already talking about the 67 mph rollercoaster that he wanted to go on that I honestly didn’t want to go on. I had just eaten huge pancakes and I just didn’t seem interested.

Of course when we go to the New York- New York Hotel……… I wanted to go. 

The Roller Coaster at New York-New York Hotel/Casino

The minimum height for the ride is 54 inches so I saw some kids get kicked out of the ride. The rollercoaster car was a very long taxi with seats in it. So when it was my turn I got on with my brother. It started slow for maybe 20 feet, then it was a steep climb to the start of the roller coaster. 

When launched down the other side of the steep rail we all screamed, and then it happened again except not so fast. Then came the loop and a lot of colorful words.

Mom comment: I figure it doesn’t count if I don’t hear it . . .  

After the gigantic loop came a series of bunny-hops which had your stomach lurching the entire way. Then you went upside down for about 15-20 very long seconds and you did some twisty turns and then before you know it you are back where you started. 

If you do choose to do this, which I recommend, your legs feel wobbly and unsupportive. It’s ok, it happens to everybody.

 Overall the ride was fun and everybody should ride it if visiting the fabulous Las Vegas.

Thanks to my wonderful son, M, for providing his input for my blog . . . Mom loves you . . .

Vegas thrill rides . . . 62 places down, 438 to go.

Walking the Vegas Strip

  By Anne Patrone | August 22, 2011 - 10:24 am | , , , , , , ,
5 Comments
Outside the Mirage on the Vegas Strip

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although walking (or cruising) the Las Vegas Strip was listed as one of Frommer’s 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up (first edition only, it didn’t make it into the second), I have to admit I wondered what was so special about seeing a bunch of neon lights. I mean, I live in New York and we’ve got Times Square, right?

I was wrong.

And while I wouldn’t advocate walking the entire Las Vegas strip at night (more about other options later), seeing the outlandish and over-the-top signs, structures, and hotels lit up in their gaudy best is definitely worth some of your time.

Since we had just finished watching Mystere at Treasure Island Hotel,I thought we would walk back to our hotel (the Four Seasons at the Mandalay Bay) catching some of the sights, since it didn’t look too far on the map and hey . . . we’re New Yorkers, we’re used to walking, right?

Unfortunately, those maps don’t take into account that most of the casinos/hotels are set REALLY far back from the sidewalks, so going in, looking around, then heading back out (like we did at the Mirage eats up about a 1/2 mile of walking). Another thing to consider when popping in and out of these hotels/casinos is that they keep the air-conditioning super-low in the casinos to keep gamblers hyper and awake AND they allow smoking, creating this weird light-headed feeling all the time – great if you’re a gambler, not so hot if you’re a tired kid who happens to be asthmatic.

By the time we got to the Bellagio, we took a small break to watch the dancing fountains – a nightly performance that occurs every 15 minutes after 8 pm. 

Dancing fountains at the Bellagio

On the night we watched, the fountains were dancing to Faith Hill’s “This Kiss.” It was a great performance and we loved the spectacle and craziness of watching millions of gallons of water spraying into the air in a desert.

The next block nearly did us in . . .

The Famous Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas

By the time we made it to the New York-New York Hotel/Casino to ride The Roller Coaster (formerly called the Manhattan Express), the kids were exhausted and/or feeling light-headed (see above about all the smoke/air conditioning) and just wanted to get back to the room and collapse.

A Arthurian castle in Las Vegas

We postponed the roller coaster ride and headed to the Excalibur hotel to catch the monorail back to Mandalay Bay.

Thank heavens for the monorail (free shuttles run between Treasure Island and the Mirage, the Bellagio and the Monte Carlo, and the Excalibur and Mandalay Bay).

Free monorail between Excalibur and Mandalay Bay

We staggered on the express at Excalibur, made our way back through the maze of Mandalay Bay, and collapsed in our room – hoping for a good night’s sleep before we had to leave the next day . . .

Sixty-one places visited, 439 to go.

Elvis Lives!

  By Anne Patrone | August 19, 2011 - 8:23 am | , , ,
6 Comments
Elvis Lives!

One of my top “to-dos” when I visited Las Vegas was to see Elvis. And wouldn’t you know, the boys and I saw him standing outside the Bellagio – posing for photos!! Imagine that!

Okay, granted it’s a bit blurry . . . kind of like all those tabloid photos you spot of him standing next to some alien baby . . . but it’s Elvis.

Funny, though . . . I never knew he had such a distinct Latin accent when he told me he only posed for tips . . .

Ah well, Viva Las Vegas, Baby!

Check out more great photos at Photo Friday sponsored by DeliciousBaby.com

Mystere: Family-Fun Entertainment in Las Vegas

  By Anne Patrone | August 18, 2011 - 10:00 am | , , , , , , ,
1 Comment
Mystere at Treasure Island Hotel

When I told my hubby we were going to Las Vegas, his first comment was “Why? It’s only for grown-ups.” And true, if you think of Las Vegas as only for gamblers, then he was right – it’s not very kid-friendly. But one of my earliest memories of a family vacation out west was a Las Vegas show that my parents took me to . . . and the image of Milton Berle getting smacked in the face with a pie.

Non-stop casino action

I was determined to find a kid-friendly show that I could take my boys to while we were in Las Vegas, but since we live so close to New York, I didn’t want a Broadway show (like The Lion King) that they had already seen or could see in New York.

I wanted something uniquely “Vegas” and chose Mystere, a Cirque du Soleil show that has run at the Treasure Island hotel since 1993 and had over 8000 performances.

Mystere was the first Cirque du Soleil show to have a theater built specifically for its performance and has been a major draw for Treasure Island hotel since its debut. It’s kid-friendly with a circus-like theme, no nudity, and silly characters that kids (and adults) can enjoy. Best of all, it’s a manageable 90 minutes (with no intermission) from start to finish.

The vote from my boys??

A solid four **** stars.

Performances are daily (except Thursdays & Fridays) at 7:00 pm & 9:30 pm. Check on-line for special packages and discounted prices.